20 Important Things Jesus Said About Love
It sure can get confusing…
What’s that?
All the things culture tries to tell us about “love.”
Seriously! If society has it right, then why are there so many broken families, fragile relationships, and hurting people.
The idea that love is a “feeling” to be expressed any way we’d like as long as “no one gets hurt” just doesn’t work. Why? Because we’re connected to each other through our relationships and when we go outside of God’s intention and protective plan for love … someone always gets hurt! Always!
We all need love!
God created us that way!
Why?
Because He loves us and wants to have a relationship with us; so He created a need within us that He wants to fill.
Simply said … God created us with a need for love … a need that would lead us to His perfect unfailing love.
Maybe one of the reasons we are so divided and full of pain is because we are listening to the wrong voices telling us about love.
Over the past few days, I’ve gone straight to the words of Jesus, the One who lived the perfect example of love. I wanted to know what He had to say about God’s love and ours.
And I found…
20 Important Things Jesus Said About Love
What Jesus Said About Love – God’s Love
1. God Loves People … You and Me.
“This is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him.”
John 3:16–17
2. God Loves You More than You Can Imagine
“I am in them and You are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that You sent me and that You love them as much as You love me.“
John 17:23
3. God Loves and Cares About Your Daily Needs.
“If God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, He will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?”
Matthew 6:30
4. God Loves You Enough to Search for You When You are Lost.
So Jesus told them this story: “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders.”
Luke 15:3–5
And Waits for You When You Wander Away.
“While he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, He ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.”
Luke 15:20
5. God’s Love is Sacrificial.
“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.“
John 15:13
6. God’s Love Forgives.
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Luke 23:34
7. God’s Love will Never Leave You.
“And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:20
8. God’s Love Gives Life that Lasts Forever.
Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die.”
John 11:25–26
9. God’s Love Lightens Life’s Burdens.
Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.“
Matthew 11:29–30
10. God’s Love is Preparing a Place for You and Me.
“I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.“
John 14:2b–3
What Jesus Said About Love – Our Love
1. Love for God and Others is the Most Important Commandment.
Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these.“
Mark 12:29–31
2. Love for God Looks Like Obedience.
“If you love me, obey my commandments.”
John 14:15
3. Love is the Identity of the Follower of Jesus.
“You must love each other as I have loved you. If you love each other, all men will know you are My followers.“
John 13:34b–35 (NLV)
4. Love Follows Where Jesus Leads.
“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.”
Matthew 16:24
5. Love is Sacrificial.
“If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.”
Matthew 16:25
6. Love is Humble.
“God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.”
Matthew 5:5
7. Love is Merciful.
“I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”
Matthew 9:13
8. Love is Peaceful.
“God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.”
Matthew 5:9
9. Love Even When It Seems Impossible.
“But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.“
Luke 6:27–28
10. Love Like Jesus’ Love lasts forever.
“Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:13
I don’t know about you, but I’m sitting here squirming a little. Those first verses about love – God’s love and how perfect and complete it is … well, they bless me like crazy! They explain how God created a need for love in each of us so He could fill it with Himself. Glory!!
But then there are those next verses about love … the way you and I are supposed to love God and the people around me … and well, I see how far I fall short.
Which is why I’m not only thankful that love is forgiving; I’m thankful Jesus also said…
Love doesn’t leave us on our own. God’s love gives us the Help we need to love others.
“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.”
John 14:16
So, to go back to where we started.
Culture looks at love as a feeling.
The dictionary says this about love:
- an intense feeling of deep affection.
- a great interest and pleasure in something.
- feel a deep romantic or sexual attachment to (someone).
But the Bible describes it as so much more than the way we feel.
With God’s love in our hearts, love becomes a part of our character that shows itself in the way we act. Love becomes the way we talk … it’s what we do.
It’s the highest calling! One we can only fulfill with the Lord’s presence and help.
I’m praying your life is full of love … the kind of love Jesus talked about.
What wonderful reminders today of God’s love for us, and how we must treat those around us with that same love, Deb. No, not always easy, especially the command to love our enemies, but so needed! You’ve made me think once again of how I can show God’s love to others, and what a difference that can make.
Blessings, my friend!
Thank you, Martha! God gives us such specific truths about love and yet, we want to do it our own way. I need this reminder regularly! Thanks for your kind encouragement! Blessings, my friend!
This is such an inspiring post, Deb! Who doesn’t want to know more about the way God loves us! Thank you for doing this research and serving up these gems! I’ll be pinning and tweeting for sure! And am so happy to have you over at my place today!
Thank you, Beth! Your encouragement is truly a blessing! Thanks for sharing, too! And thank you for allowing me to come over and share a post at your place. I loved it!
Whatever a timely reminder for me personally. Still so much to know and to understand His Love is a lifelong journey. Boy! Am I so grateful that I have a GOD who loves me so deeply,faithfully and unconditionally,I am loved by Love Himself!
What a beautiful way to say it, Seyie! Love by LOVE Himself! Yes, we are! What an amazing and awesome blessing! Praise God!
Yes, someone always gets hurt when they deviate from God’s example of love.
Blessings,
Jennifer
How much we need the reminder that love is greater than any other fear and is the only way of achieving a peaceful life and earth . The power of love is a supreme response to the brutality and violence in this world and to practice a loving life is a sacred responsibility .Weapons and war achieve nothing .We are without hope if love can not prevail .
I am so thankful that God, who is love, pours over us the love He wants us to share with each other. May we glorify Him by living in His love and sharing it with everyone we meet. God bless you!